Stamford, CT – On Sunday, March 8th, The Order of St. Andrew the Apostle and several other organizations co-presented a Town Hall in Stamford, CT with United States Senator Christopher Murphy. At the Town Hall, Sen. Murphy addressed issues of importance to the Greek Orthodox community, including religious freedom for the Ecumenical Patriarchate. In his preliminary remarks, the Senator mentioned the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s struggle for religious freedom, as well as the importance of re-opening its seminary in Halki. Former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce, Archon Andrew Manatos, participated in the Town Hall and in his comments highlighted the deep bonds shared over many decades by the United States and Greece.
Archon Regional Commander (District 1), Nikiforos Mathews, noted the significance of the event, stating “This was a unique opportunity to engage in direct discourse with a United States Senator, to better inform him about the property, succession, legal personality and other issues affecting the Mother Church. Senator Murphy truly demonstrated a command of these issues and a sincerity in seeing them justly resolved.”
Senator Murphy is the junior Senator for Connecticut and serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (including the Subcommittee on European Affairs), the Appropriations Committee, the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee and the Democratic Steering & Outreach Committee. The Subcommittee on European Affairs deals with all matters concerning U.S. relations with the countries on the continent of Europe (except the states of Central Asia that are within the jurisdiction of the Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs), and with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the European Union and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Its responsibilities include all matters within the geographic region relating to: (1) terrorism and non-proliferation; (2) crime and illicit narcotics; (3) U.S. foreign assistance programs; and (4) the promotion of U.S. trade and exports.
The Town Hall was co-presented by the Archons, AHEPA, the Archangels Greek Orthodox Church (Stamford, CT), the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church (Stamford, CT) and the Hellenic Bar Association of Connecticut. Approximately 90 people attended the event, including local politicians and several Archons.
